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Known by God

In the book of Mathew, chapter 7 verses 22 to 23 (in the Apostolic writings, also called the “New Testament”), in a parable about the judgement day, Jesus says, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (English Standard Version).

Note a couple things about this passage. First, who is he saying he is talking to? The context makes it clear that he is addressing those who are calling themselves Christians. To use a colloquial term, “on fire Christians.” Yet he says “I never knew you.” Not, “You don’t know me”, but “I never knew you.”

This should make you stop and think. Are you known by God (as Jesus was speaking in the place of God – as a prophet)? How does one become known by God? Apparently doing fantastic things “in his name” doesn’t help at all in becoming known by God. But the passage makes it clear what brings us to be known by him; well, it makes clear what stood in the way of not being known by him. That is lawlessness (and you can check the Greek; the word is lawless).

Lawlessness means without law. What? Christians are supposed to be under a “law”? Most will answer at this point that the “law of Christ (Jesus)” is meant. But what, then, is “the law of Christ?”

God never changes. Jesus said he only speaks what the Father speaks. The “law of Christ” is then God’s law, that never changes. More on this in the next post….